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Tip

Make ahead

The joy of this dish is that it can be made ready to bake several hours ahead or frozen, so it’s perfect if you are having friends round or want to get the cooking out of the way early.

Method

Slit the sausages and remove them from their skins, then chop them into small pieces. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the sausages and fry until lightly coloured. Add the carrot, then stir in the wine, stock, tomato purée, and season.

Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until thickened. Taste and season. Set aside.

Put the butter, flour and milk in a pan. Gently heat, whisking, until thickened and smooth. Add a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg, season, then simmer for 2 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan 170C. Bring a large pan of salted water
to the boil. Add the pasta, stir well, then cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach and, when just wilted, drain well.

Tip half the pasta into a shallow ovenproof dish, about 2.2 litre/4 pint, and level. Spoon over the sausage sauce, then cover with the remaining pasta. Pour the white sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the cheddar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Leave for 5 minutes before serving.

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Comments, questions and tips

Comments

Great recipe. Just used the back of a knife to squeeze out chunks of sausage meat & got the food processor out to deal with rest of prep. Deliciou. Will def make again as recipe written but also very easy to add to or adapt. Good stuff!

Gorgeous! I added flavour to the white sauce with a dash of vinegar and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. I didn't bother to cook the spinach with the pasta - I just stirred it into the drained rigatoni which was enough to wilt it. This will become a regular dish in our house - it's absolutely delicious!

I've given this four stars as it's a really tasty dish that goes a long way and is packed with goodness. However, it took an hour and a half to prep and cook, plus the white sauce is a little bland. This should really just be a cheese sauce so I would recommend adding the mature cheddar and some parmesan before baking. Great tip about the pasta needed - I used 300g and it was spot on. Great recipe which I will definitely make again.

Lovely dish, I like to make this with chorizo instead of sausage, gives it a great kick. Also I don't bother with the spinach and carrots and instead just serve it with a side veg. Always a hit with my family, even my fussy eating younger brother!

Made it last night for 6 adults - enough for 6 with 3 having seconds and a bit left over for some lunch! It was v yummy - served with crusty bread and salad.
:D Used creme fraiche rather than a white sauce.

This a great do-ahead family recipe. Like others I only used half the pasta. Wholewheat pasta works well - I used penne. I liked the balance of flavours created by doing the sauce with stock and wine. I had to substitute passata for puree and maybe because of this had to thicken the sauce a little with cornflour. I have a Remoska and finished the dish in that. Such a yummy bake.

Really enjoyed this, as did my 4 and 7year olds. Only slight negative, I found it to be a bit of a "faff" for a pasta dish (pasta usually means quick and easy to me) I used frozen spinach too and also found 500g pasta too much. Maybe i'd use 350-400g next time

Just had for tea, virtually made as suggested however only cooked my pasta for 5 minutes, as I hate over cooked pasta! The wine made it really tasty, I also used some half fat creme fresh for the topping...... frozen spinach works just as well as fresh. Yum yum

This is a great pasta bake recipe: hearty, comforting and tasty. I only cooked the pasta for 5mins in boiling water to make sure it wasn't soggy after baking. I also added cooked brussel sprouts instead of spinach - tis the season!

I used tin of toms & a stock cube instead of plain stock as someone else suggested which was very good. I also simplified the recipe by using a 300ml tub of half fat creme fraiche instead of making white sauce, just spooning it on and then grated a mix of parmesan and cheddar on top - delish! Also used 100g less rigatoni as everyone said it made lots - this still served 6 good portions. Will definitely make again as we all enjoyed it very much!

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